Much Ado About Hats
by marixoxella
Summary: The stupid hat that the stupid boy was wearing when he stupidly stole her stupid bike... Pokeshipping AAML fic, chapter 2 is up!


Author's Note: Okay everyone… New ficlet Yey! Okay you need to tell me if you think I should continue this and make this a fic or leave it as a ficlet! Kay? KAY!

…/\/\...

Much Ado about Hats

It was just a hat. So what if he didn't wear it? It didn't matter… Did it? He had been oh so very offended if anyone dared to steal his hat… All she had to do was grab it and he would spew into tantrums. Now it was any old hat. Lying around in his room, kicking up dust, it meant nothing to him. All the memories the hat had… They meant nothing, _nada_ to him. He had a new hat, new friends, and a new life. The day he dropped his hat was the day everything and everyone changed. He was different, they were different, even she was different.

His house was fairly quiet as she entered it; the door was unlocked and his mother had left a note that she would be back soon. She walked around the peaceful house and remembered all the times she had had lunch with him, slept over with him, played outside with him. She took off her shoes and slid softly in her white socks across the clean hardwood flood and up the carpeted stairs. Then she saw his room.

Soon he would come home from Battle Frontier and talk about some other journey he would go on. The Professor had already explained that there was a "Shinou" region and everyone was going to separate again. May was going to Jhoto… Brock was going back home… Max would start his own journey… He would leave too… And she? Maybe she could come along again this time. If she wasn't too scared! And to think this all started with the stupid hat. The stupid hat that the stupid boy was wearing when he stupidly stole her stupid bike… The bike…

She narrowed her eyes as she entered and drifted around his room. Mrs. Ketchum was grocery shopping with Mr. Mime and she was all alone in this house. The sun was shining into his bedroom causing a soft of spotlight to hit a region of his bed where he old clothes lay; folded neatly. She approached it slowly and touched the 100 cotton silk that was his old clothing. She picked up the satin hat and surveyed it. Yep, it was an authentic Pokemon League hat alright… Not like the stupid one he had now. This hat carried a lot of memories… A lot. Heck, they first met when he was wearing this very hat. He stole her bike… wearing this hat. She hugged it to her chest tightly and fell back into the bed. It still smelled like him. She had saved him when he wore this hat. She swam into ice cold waters with nothing but a rope to sustain her and she had pulled him in… But he didn't remember that… She made a mental note to tell him one day. But for now, memories were all she had.

Misty could remember the day where that Mankey had stolen Ash's most prized possession. Ash had just recently called Professor Oak and told him that he had earned four badges with pride. Unfortunately, the Professor compelled him with unfortunate news that his other rivals, including Gary, had five badges. On their way to Celadon City, Ash, Misty, and Brock had had an encounter with a Mankey. Brock offered the Pokemon a donut out of the kindness of his heart and while they were watching it, Ash stupidly threw the stupid Pokeball at the stupid Mankey… Causing all the trouble in the first place!

Misty smiled to herself in remembrance; how stupid and naïve and… cute Ash had been.

Anyway, the Mankey disappeared and as Ash opened the Pokeball; what would appear but a half eaten donut. Of course the poor little creature was angered and we were forced to run. Unfortunately, Brock's donuts didn't work that time. And then came the hilarious part; Mankey stole Ash's hat… The "love" of his life. Brock and Misty had pleaded Ash to give it up… It was just a hat after all. Ash wouldn't take that as an answer of course, it was an authentic Pokemon League hat.

Misty recalled their conversation.

"_I had to send about a million post cards to win that hat!" Ash had yelled angrily._

"_Oh, no wonder I didn't win, I only sent one." And it was true._

So they went through all that trouble just to get that million postcard hat. They were sure in for a fight then. The Mankey evolved and all his Primeape friends came along with him. They were surrounded. It was pretty difficult to get out of that one; but, of course, they did. They always got out of everything. So Ash got his hat back and swore he would never lose it again. Imagine his ten-year-old self seeing the Ash now; trading in his old hat for probably a fake. Things had definitely changed.

Ash had battled against her… Against Rudy… Against a bunch of trainers and gym leaders with this hat.

She smirked to herself. She was willing to bet her life that he fought more battles with this hat than with _the other one._ His new outfit was weird too. He didn't wear the cute jacket that made him look younger, no, he wore a stupid sweater jacket… thingy. He didn't mischievously argue with anyone anymore… or did he? She couldn't help but sniffle then snort at her motherliness towards him. But she felt more than motherliness and much more than best friends…

She shook herself out of her thoughts and concentrated on Ash's clothes. She hadn't noticed how warm they were as she held them against her. Or how much they still smelled like him… She continued staring at the hat thought. She had left him when he wore the fat. She had been close to admitting her feelings when he wore that hat… so close… She could feel stinging at her eyes as she continued holding the soft hat.

She slowly put it on her head and her body beginning to fill with sobs; she put on the small fitting jacket and held his black shirt and jealous to her body. Then she curled up against the bed.

Stupid hats.


End file.
